History

The Plant Breeding Institute, Narrabri was originally established as the Northwest Wheat Research Institute in 1958. The land was purchased by the wheat growers of the Northwest slopes and plains from newly introduced state levies in 1957. The ownership was then transferred to a trust controlled by the NSW Wheat Research Foundation that leases the property to the University of Sydney for the purpose of conducting grains research and development.

The Plant Breeding Institute, Narrabri was named the I.A.Watson Grains Research Centre in 1977.